Reel Talk: Jared Lucas Extended Interview

Being a licensed general contractor is a unlikely career path into team managing and filming one of the most diversely savage teams in skateboarding. But hey if he can build a house from the ground up, putting in the work to film and edit the new Bones video, New Ground, is a walk in the park for Jared Lucas.

Jared Lucas on set of New Ground. Photo: DEVILLE

How long have you been involved with Bones and how'd you get your start?

Growing up in Phoenix I grew up skating with Josh Hawkins and John Motta. In 2004 I started getting John and Josh in the mix with those guys. I was always filming them and going on trips so it kind of just naturally happened.

How the hell did you go from general contractor to Bone's TM/Filmer?

I've been skating since I was 12 and picked up a camera when I was 16. They offered a media production class in high school. I started editing and stuff since then and never put the camera down. When I graduated I started plumbing and was a plumber for 4 years. During that time I was also team managing a local clothing company and skate shop. That's when I met Josh Hawkins and realized how much fucking better Josh was than I was, younger, better, and looked better on a board. Basically he was progressing way faster than me. At that point I was going to stop trying to be sponsored skateboarder guy and focus on hooking Josh up. I always had Josh and all he other AZ guys, Nick Fiorini, Dakota Servold, and even Jaws were on the missions back when they were 10 or 11. There's a crazy history of all of us skating way back when. Naturally over the years with the contracting and all that stuff, never putting down the camera, having the guys stay with me when I moved to California. It naturally progressed to me working for Bones.

Any carryover skills from the contracting days that apply to your job now?

There have been so many spots that I've been able to make skateable over the years because I have that background construction knowledge. I've welded new handrails and fabricated them into spots. I've taken out rails, concreting holes, and made transitions.

What are the 3 top videos that have inspired you?

Sight Unseen is my favorite video ever. Anything that Jason Hernandez has done since A Time to Shine. Jon Holland, Ty Evans, and Chris Ray. All those guys really inspire me because of their work ethic. It's really humbling just knowing that there are other dudes out there working as hard as they can and always trying to make stuff happen. Ty being the first dude to hype up the session and bondoing a crack before anyone even committed to skating the spot yet. Chris Ray and his truck full of the no excuses kit. He's got every nick knack in his car to make a spot skateable. Jason Hernandez and every filming gadget that you can think of to make sure every clip is going to look as amazing as it can possibly be. Those guys all have such great knowledge in setting their camera up so properly. Their settings are so perfect.

What video projects have you been involved with leading into New Ground?

I filmed the majority of the Fun video. Also helped film the first Bones Video. The only video part I filmed 100% of was Felipe Gustavo's debut to the skateboard world, his Digital Video part. Felipe is one of my best friends and we've been there for each other every step of the way.

With all the film projects going on now, how did the cast of New Ground come together?

Since the last Bones video was predominantly a pro project I wanted to work on something new. So I put it out to the ams and whoever didn't have parts in the last video. Everybody who's interested take this year to film as much as you can, and whoever is most stoked and wants it the most, then those are the guys I'm going to focus on and put on the trips. Trent and Trevor McClung, Jaws and Dakota Servold, were all able to pull shared parts together. Moose, Ben Raybourn, Jared Huss, and Aldrin Garcia all came through too.

It's tough getting everyone together. I'd say I filmed about 70% of the video. Some guys on the east coast they're not as easy to access so I got to leave it to their filmers to get me the that I needed. I spread myself thin but I try to mix it up the best that I can. The majority of the footage came from trips. We went to Berlin, all over Poland, and all over the US. I always try to mix those trips up as well; I kind of get a little bit of everyone.

Between all the gnarly stuff that went down in the video, what's the heaviest thing you filmed?

Jaws Kickflip Melon. Third try. The first one he caught perfect was the one. There was no catch and bail. He landed the one that he caught.

Who surprised you the most?

Jared Huss for sure. The kid's so rad, and humble. He never ceases to amaze me. Just his bag of tricks and being so particular of the tricks he wants to put out. He's a quality over quantity type guy. He's totally the kid that will go and map things out. He'll do the research, plan it for a few days, and know exactly what to try at the spot. And it usually works out for him. It's pretty awesome filming his part.

Jared Huss gap to fs feeble as seen in New Ground and his Check Out in the February issue of TWS. Photo: RYAN ALLAN

For the gear heads out there what cameras did you use?

I have a canon 7D, 8-15mm fisheye, and a 50mm fixed lens L series. Panasonic HPX-175. And I fabricate my own handles for a DSLR. I've fabricated it to have a Manfrotto quick release on the handle so you can pop it off and quickly throw it on a tripod, track and dolly, or a jib. It's exactly what I wanted out of a handle, and it fits in the laptop sleeve of a camera bag. I designed my handle off of a VX-1000 so the finger spacing and the thumb grip; everything is exactly the dimensions of a VX-1000 because that's what I grew up filming with.

New Ground is a wrap, and as we're doing this interview you're already out in the streets filming. You didn't want to take a vacation?

(laughs) I want to get back out there with my friends, it's where I belong. It's just fun being out in the streets. Pretty much the day I got out of the editing dungeon I was back out there.

Last part shocker Ben Raybourn with Jared Lucas after the New Ground premiere at La Paloma. Photo: SHIGEO

Are you working on anything else?

Yeah I'm working on a few things. It's going to be more quality based web edits for the site, one a month. There's not going to be any rhyme or reason, they'll all be special in their own way, different themes. A guy like Tony Hawk I might do a day in the life. Or for a guy like Paul Hart, who's kind of an up and coming kind I might spend the whole year filming him and put out a full part. Or someone like Chris Haslam going back to his hometown and filming the first curb he ollied up. Why he is where he is, using photos and time-lines and stuff.